- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2153
Boorloo/Perth rallies for Palestine in commemoration of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, Saturday 17 May 2025.
Israel’s Defence Minister has instructed the military to plan to move all Palestinians in Gaza into a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of Rafah. He’s said that the plan is to not allow people to leave.
An Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard, has described the idea as an “operational plan for a crime against humanity.” He told the media that “While the government still calls the deportation ‘voluntary,’ people in Gaza are under so many coercive measures that no departure from the strip can be seen in legal terms as consensual,” Sfard told the Guardian.
Forcible transfers of population are strictly prohibited under international law. It’s unclear at time of writing when the plan would be implemented, or even if it is approved by the Israeli government. The fact that it has been announced at all is deeply troubling.
